Improvement in the adaptation of wads to shot and shells



S. C. ABBOTT.

Projectile.

Patel'lted Oct. 18, 1859.

Mrs ST TES A'rnNr rrrcn.

SAMUEL O. ABBOT, OF ZANES'VILLE, OHIO.

IMPROVEMENT IN THE ADAPTATION OF WADS TO SHOT AND SHELLS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent NOREQSJQS, dated Ociolwl 18, 18:79.

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, SAMUEL O. ABBor, of Zanesville, in the county of Muskingum and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in the Construction of Shot and. Shells and their Vads or Packing; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the construction and operation of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings,making a part of this specification, in which Figure 1 represents an external View of a shot, with the wad or packing in place. Fig. 2 represents a section through the shot. Fig. 3 represents a section through a shell. Fig. 4 represents the shape of the wad or packing when spread out. Fig. 5 represents a section through a gun, with the shot and wad in place to show their joint action.

Similar letters of reference where they occur in the several figures dehote like parts in all of them.

My object is to so make a shot or shell and its packing as that the shot or shell shall rotate in its flight around its long'axis when fired from a smooth-bored gun, and the packing impinge by force of the gas against the hollow or concave surface of the shot, as well as against the surface of the bore of the gun, to prevent windage.

I am aware that many attempts have been made to rotate shot and shell when projected from a smooth-bore gun, and that many kinds of wads or packings have been devised for preventing windage, all of which have failed from some cause to come into practical use.

To enable others skilled in the art to make and use my invention, I will proceed to describe the same with reference to the drawlugs.

Theebase a of my shot or shells are cylindrical, and the points 11 conical, the cylindrical and conical portions being of about equal lengths. From the point of the cone to its base are made spiral grooves c, the lines of which grooves, in the direction of the flight of the shot, are cut in perpendicular, and thence rounded out until they meet the perimeter of the cone, so as to leave no abrupt line or surface. The object of these grooves is to give the shot its rotation while in flight. The cyindrical portion a serves not only to fill the bore of the gun but also as a vane to guide would interfere with its flight by offering re sisting surfaces to its rotation or projection, or both. I preserve the exterior cylindrical form of the shot or shell entire both in area and surface, and to throw the weight forward make the base of the shot or shell of a hollow funnel-shaped form, so as to leave the base but a ring of very thinmetal.

opening in the base of the ball, but is longer than said opening, and extends beyond the base of the ball, shot, or shell, as seen at f, so

that its base shall project beyond the sides of.

the cylindrical port-ion a of the shot.

At Fig. 3 I have shown a shell constructed upon the same general principle of preponderance or disposition of metal, which may have the same grooves upon its conical portion that are shown in Fig. 1, the same guiding property, and the same packing. The chamber 9 of the shell should be as far rearward as possible, having due regard to the. strength of the metal surrounding it, and

fromthis chamber an opening, i, may be made to the point of the shell, where the cap or other priming that is to let off its explosive contents is placed.

The object in allowing the wad or packing e to protrude from and extend beyond the base of the shot or shell will be understood by referrin g tov Fig. 5, where the sectional red lines may represent a gun for projecting said balls. The portion f of the packing impinges upon the bore of the gun, while its other portions impinge upon the opening in the heel of the shot. When the gun is fired, the. force of the gas drives the wad or packing both-against the bore of the gun and the bore (as it were) of the shot, which, together with the expansion of the heel of the shot, completely packs the joint between the shot and the bore, and, driving the wad against the bore and shot, momentarily suspends the starting of the ball, during which the whole of the charge of pow- The wad orpacking e is the counterpart in shape of the der may be burned, thus getting its whole explosive force at the first starting of the shot or shell.

The wad or packing e may be made of leather, felt, or any sufiiciently-strong fibrous or textile substance, or it may be made of lead, brass, or any metal softer than that of which the gun is composed, and may be punched or cut out and bent up and closed, or may be struck up out of the metal, as may be preferred.

A simple slightlyconcave wad will not impinge upon the shot and bore of the gun as my packing will. It requires the resistingsurface in the shot to prevent the gas from driving the wadin that direction, which would tend to draw it away from the bore.

The grooves or inclined planes 0 should radiate from the apex of the shot or shell to the shoulder, where they terminate or run out.

Having thus fully described the nature and object of my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

In combination with a shot or shell-that rcceives its rotation by the action of the atmosphere in its flight, and which has an open funnelshaped base, a similarly-shaped open wad or packing that, when expanded by the gas, shall impinge both upon the bore of the gun and the interior of the shot or shell, as herein described and represented.

A. B. STOUGHTON, E. COHEN. 

